Beginning March 12, the city will prohibit restaurants, mobile food carts, delis and concessions at movie theaters, stadiums or arenas from selling sugary drinks in cups or containers larger than 16 ounces. The city will begin fining sellers for violating the ban in mid-June.

The city ban, however, does not include convenience stores, such as 7-Elevens, and supermarkets, both of which are regulated by the state government. But on Monday, Bloomberg urged the state to move forward with a ban that matched the city’s new regulations.

“The state should do exactly the same thing in stores,” Bloomberg said at a news conference in Brooklyn.

Aides to the mayor did not immediately return requests for comment on Monday to clarify precisely what action the mayor believes the state should take. Under the city ban, a restaurant would be prohibited from selling a large sugary drink, but a convenience store across the street would be exempt.

Opponents to the ban have asked a judge to stop the Bloomberg administration from moving forward with the ban, but as of Monday there’s been no ruling.

Chris Gindlesperger, a spokesman for the American Beverage Association, which is spearheading the legal fight against the ban, said, “The soda ban is exceedingly unpopular with New Yorkers. It increases the cost of doing business in the city and will have no impact on the mayor’s stated goal of reducing obesity. New Yorkers can decide for themselves what to eat and drink.”

At Monday’s news conference, the mayor strongly defended the initiative as a forward-thinking way to combat the growing epidemic of obesity.

“Kids, once they get obese, they will be obese as adults. And this year, for the first time in the world, in the history of humanity, more people will die from overeating than from under-eating.” Bloomberg said. “So, we’re trying to do something here.”

The mayor, who has made public health a hallmark of his 11-plus years as chief executive of the nation’s most populous city, said he doesn’t believe the city is “banning anything” because patrons are permitted to purchase as many sugary drinks as they want, provided the cup size is no larger than 16 ounces.

“We’re not banning anything, other than saying you have to serve it in portions of 16 ounces or less,” Bloomberg said. “We’re just trying to encourage you and educate you that this is probably not the greatest thing for you, and all of the research done shows that portion control really does work. You typically won’t reach for the next one.”

Bloomberg first proposed the ban last spring and, to date, there’s been no move by any officials in Albany to extend the ban in New York City to venues regulated by the state, or to extend the ban to areas outside the five boroughs. There also has been no move by lawmakers in Albany or the City Council to prevent Bloomberg from implementing these new regulations through legislative action.

The New York City Board of Health, a panel appointed by the mayor, approved the new regulations in September.

A sugary drink is defined as any beverage sweetened with sugar or another caloric sweetener that contains more than 25 calories per eight fluid ounces and contains less than 51% milk or milk substitute by volume as an ingredient. A diet soda, a milk shake or sweetened latte that is larger than 16 ounces wouldn’t be banned.

The proposal is the latest high-profile initiative from Bloomberg to influence public health. In 2002, the mayor persuaded the City Council to approve a ban on cigarettes in restaurants and bars, a law that has since become widely popular in the city and adopted around the globe.

During the mayor’s tenure, the Board of Health has required calorie counts to be posted on menu boards and banned the use of trans-fats in foods. The mayor’s administration also launched a major effort to limit the intake of salt.